Objectives

The School of Arts and Humanities is committed to
interdisciplinary programs that investigate the linkages between the arts and
the humanities by fusing critical with creative thinking, theoretical with
practical endeavors. Rather than identifying fixed disciplinary areas, the
program emphasizes the interrelationship of broad areas of interest.

Within the Graduate Program in Arts and Technology, most courses are offered
under the rubric of Arts and Technology (ATEC), but the degree plan also
includes courses in Aesthetic Studies (HUAS), History of Ideas (HUHI), and
Studies in Literature (HUSL).

Within the Graduate Program in the Humanities, most courses are offered
within the three main areas of concentration: Aesthetic Studies (HUAS), History
of Ideas (HUHI), and Studies in Literature (HUSL), and students seeking the
M.A. or Ph.D. degrees in humanities must take courses in all three areas. The
fourth area and other courses, including core courses required of all students,
are offered under the rubric Humanities (HUMA).

Within the Graduate Program in History, most courses are offered within
History (HIST) and History of Ideas (HUHI) but students may also take courses
in Aesthetic Studies (HUAS) and Studies in Literature (HUSL).

All our graduate programs are designed to provide students a flexible,
interdisciplinary context within which to pursue a program of study built on
connections among specific courses and the areas of concentration. Offerings
include not only seminars stressing the interpretation and criticism of
specific works and issues but also ensembles, studios, and workshops in which
the activity of creation and/or performance becomes the primary means of
learning.

Facilities

The School of Arts & Humanities provides specialized facilities for
academic research and creative expression. The JonssonBuilding
contains technologically rich environments for studies in Rhetoric, Computer
Graphics, Professional Communication, Musical Instrument Digital Interface, and
Art & Technology. The VisualArtsBuilding
houses a Media Room as well as studios for painting, photography, sculpture,
and other arts. Performance venues for drama and music include the University
Theatre and the Jonsson Performance Hall.

Admission Requirements

Each application is considered on its individual merits. Normally students
applying for admission to the Graduate Program in Arts and Technology should
have a previous academic degree (B.A. or B.S.) in an appropriate field (i.e.,
Art, Computer Science), a grade point average of 3.3 (especially in
upper-division undergraduate work), and evidence of previous course work and/or
expertise in the creative arts and digital technology.

Normally students applying for admission to the Graduate Program in
Humanities should have previous academic degrees (B.A. or M.A.) in arts and
humanities fields and a grade point average of 3.3 (especially in
upper-division undergraduate or graduate work).

Normally students applying for admission to the Graduate Program in History
should have a previous degree (B.A. or B.S.) in history or related disciplines
and a grade point average of 3.3 (especially in upper-division undergraduate
work).

The School of Arts and Humanities no longer requires
the Graduate Record Examination for admission to graduate programs.

Full-time and Part-time Students

Students can pursue the graduate degrees in humanities on a full- or
part-time basis. Full-time students normally register for nine or more semester
hours per term. The school takes care to accommodate part-time study by scheduling
both day and night classes, thus allowing students flexibility in organizing
individual schedules.

Degree Requirements

The approach to graduate education in the School of Arts
and Humanities is flexible. Within the specific degree requirements listed
below, each student plans a program of studies in consultation with an assigned
faculty adviser.

Courses meeting degree requirements are normally chosen from the core
courses and the areas of concentration within the School of Arts
and Humanities. To have courses taken outside the school applied to one of its
degrees, students must seek prior approval from the School’s Associate Dean for
Graduate Studies. They may also petition to have appropriate transfer courses
applied to reduce the required number of hours for a degree at U.T. Dallas. The
School’s Associate Dean for Graduate Studies may require students with
background deficiencies in interdisciplinary work to take additional courses at
the undergraduate or graduate level to remedy those deficiencies.

Active involvement in the process of artistic creation and performance is
basic to the design of the Aesthetic Studies area of concentration. Therefore,
students working in the Graduate Program in the Humanities at the M.A. level
with an emphasis on Aesthetic Studies are required to take at least one
ensemble/workshop, and those working toward a Ph.D. with an emphasis on this
area are required to take at least one additional ensemble/workshop. Students
undertaking creative projects for master’s portfolios or doctoral dissertations
must demonstrate their competency as artists by including in their degree plans
a minimum number of studios, ensembles, or workshops related to a proposed
medium: two for the M.A. and four for the Ph.D.

Research

The research interests of the faculty reflect the interdisciplinary mission
of the School. In addition to the research activities of individual faculty,
five centers and institutes that promote interdisciplinary research are located
within the School: The Center for Translation Studies; the Center for Holocaust
Studies; the Institute for Professional Communication; the Institute for
Interactive Arts and Technology; and the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study
of Museums. Since the School combines the Humanities and the Arts, many faculty
are engaged in the creation and performance of artistic works in music, drama,
and the visual arts.